Dodgers win brawl-marred game

San Diego Padres' Carlos Quentin and teammates battle the Los Angeles Dodgers after Quentin was hit by a pitch thrown by Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke in the sixth inning of baseball game in San Diego, Thursday, April 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
— AP

San Diego Padres' Carlos Quentin and teammates battle the Los Angeles Dodgers after Quentin was hit by a pitch thrown by Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke in the sixth inning of baseball game in San Diego, Thursday, April 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
/ AP

What has always been a semi-friendly rivalry between Southern California neighbors turned ugly Thursday night at Petco Park.

And the feud might just be beginning.

Dodgers ace Zack Greinke, who received a $147 million, six-year contract as a free agent last winter, suffered a broken left collarbone when rammed by Padres left fielder Carlos Quentin in the first of two bench-clearing brawls in the sixth inning at Petco Park.

Greinke could miss up to six weeks due to the collarbone. Quentin likely faces sanctions and a possible suspension from Major League Baseball stemming from the ugliest incident in the history of Petco Park.

Later, the Dodgers scored a 3-2 victory on an eighth-inning, pinch-hit homer by Juan Uribe. The win was the Dodgers' 14th in their last 21 games at Petco Park and gave them a seventh straight series win against the Padres in San Diego.

But the game proved secondary to the events of the sixth inning.

Quentin charged Greinke after the pitcher hit Quentin on the left shoulder with a full count pitch leading off the sixth.

The Padre stepped to the front of the plate and paused briefly, then charged the mound.

Quentin said he charged Greinke after the pitcher said something. “That was the final straw,” said Quentin. Greinke denied he said anything after hitting Quentin.

As Quentin approached Greinke at top speed, the former football player lowered his shoulder and knocked Greinke backwards with a shoulder-high block as Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis was tackling the Padre from behind.

Greinke, Quentin and Ellis then went to the ground to the first-base side of the mound as the Dodgers on the field and players from both dugouts and bullpens charged the scene.

But Thursday night’s incident didn’t start at Petco Park.

“Myself and Greinke have a history,” said Quentin, referring to incidents when Greinke hit Quentin with pitches in 2008 and 2009 when Greinke pitched for the Kansas City Royals and Quentin played for the Chicago White Sox.

“It is documented. I’ve been hit many times in my career and I’ve never responded in that fashion. It could have been avoided. What he said was the final straw. If he doesn’t say anything, I don’t charge.”

Quentin said he had never charged the mound in the 115 times he had previously been hit by a pitch. He led the National League by getting hit 17 times last season in just 340 plate appearances.

But in 2009, Quentin reportedly had to be restrained by plate umpire Paul Hohn after being hit by a Greinke pitch.

“I feel like he’s just trying to intimidate people,” said Greinke, whose left arm was in a sling, of Quentin.

“I don’t know anyone who has hit him on purpose. I know I haven’t.”

Quentin called the injury to Greinke “unfortunate.”

“It could have been avoided,” said Quentin. “It wasn’t avoided. Our history has been documented. You can look it up.”

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Quentin came into Thursday night’s game with a 6-for-24 mark against Greinke with three homers. Quentin had missed Wednesday night’s game after being hit on the right forearm by a Ronald Belisario pitch in Tuesday afternoon’s home opener against the Dodgers.

Dodger manager Don Mattingly called for Quentin to be suspended for as long as Greinke is sidelined with the broken collarbone.

“Quentin caused the whole thing,” said Mattingly. “You know he’s not throwing at you with a full count in a 2-1 game. Zero understanding of the game of baseball. He shouldn’t play until Greinkle can pitch. It’s just stupid. If he plays before Greinke pitches, then something is wrong.”

“I suspect something will be leveled against Carlos,” said Padres manager Bud Black. “The process will take place. New York will figure that out.”

“I think Carlos Quentin went to Stanford,” said Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp. “I heard there are some smart people at Stanford. That wasn’t too smart. Carlos gives the pitcher no space to come inside. So pitchers have to come inside and sometimes they miss their spots. Zack missed his spot right there, no big deal. Take it like a man and go to first base.

“But he had to charge the mound and one of our best pitchers is hurt.”

Quentin and the Dodgers’ Kemp, Greinke and Jerry Hairston Jr. were all ejected by plate umpire and crew chief Sam Holbrook.

Shortly after order was restored from the first brawl and players from both sides had returned to their respective dugouts and bullpens, Hairston charged out of the Dodgers dugout and raced in the direction of the Padres dugout.

He was headed off by Padres Mark Kotsay and Yonder Alonso. But that incident brought both teams back onto the field for a second round of shoving and words.

Hairston, who played for the Padres in 2010, said he charged because he heard someone from the Padres dugout make fun of Greinke for being hurt.

“We’re trying to win here and now one of our aces has a broken collarbone,” said Hairston. “I lost it. I played over there and I respect a lot of guys. No one that I respect more than Mark Kotsay. But I wanted one of the guys over there. You don’t make fun of a guy being hurt.”

Alonso said he and Kotsay just wanted to step in front of Hairston.

“I wasn’t trying to fight him and he wasn’t upset with me,” said Alonso. “Mark and I just wanted to get in Jerry’s way and keep him from making things worse.”

The game was delayed more than 15 minutes due to the back-to-back incidents. Before play resumed, Mattingly talked to his team along the third-base line.

And after the game, there was a confrontation between Kemp, Quentin and Padres pitcher Clayton Richard in the tunnel used by both teams as an exit. As more Dodgers approached, a San Diego Police officer and several security officers intervened.

The Padres and Dodgers play another three-game series next Monday-Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

Earlier, the Dodgers wasted no time giving Greinke a 2-0 lead.

Carl Crawford, who opened Wednesday night’s game with a homer off Eric Stults, greeted Padres starter Jason Marquis with a lead-off single. Marquis retired Mark Ellis on a fly to center and struck out Kemp.

But Adrian Gonzalez drilled a 2-and-0 Marquis fastball 378 feet into the right field stands some 15 feet inside the foul pole. And, yes, it would have been a home run under Petco Park’s old dimensions.

The Padres got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out walk by rookie Jedd Gyorko, a single over the third base bag by Nick Hundley and a Greinke wild pitch. Hundley’s single was the catcher’s sixth straight hit and made him 7-for-8 since he homered in the fifth inning of opening day. Hundley has a homer, two doubles and a single during the run with his batting average rocketing from .125 to .375.

The Padres tied the game immediately after order was restored in the sixth. Amarista pinch ran for Quentin, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a single to center by Alonso.

Although things remained calm on the field after the sixth inning, several fights broke out in the stands.